The Rage of Earth
by Aria6
Summary: Sequel to Spirit of Fire and For the Love of Air! This fic will follow the adventures of Axel and Roxas about a hundred years in the future, and also Lexaeus and Zexion! Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

The strong, brawny man stood at the edge of the cliff. His hair was close cropped and brown, and a touch spiky on the back. He wore nothing but brown pants, unaware of the chill in the mountain air. Idly lifting a boulder, he cast it with inhuman force at the cliff face. It hit with a smashing, splintering sound that pleased him, and he picked up another to do it again.

He continued that way for some time. Until he abruptly became aware of something small and fragile at his side.

"…?" Looking down, storm cloud grey eyes met bright blue.

"What're you doing?" Surprised by the query, the man stopped what he was doing and regarded the intruder by his side. He'd never had anything to do with mortals in his life, so this was unexpected. Thinking for a moment, he identified the human as a child… and a very young one. He had very pretty, silvery blue hair and possessed a delicate beauty that the man thought would only be enhanced with age.

"Throwing rocks." He finally replied, and the boy tilted his head to one side as he picked up another boulder.

"Oh." The boy watched in silence for a moment as the next boulder went flying. "Why?"

"Trying to start a landslide." He could have easily begun a landslide from within the rock… just weaken a few bonds… but he was having fun seeing if he could start it just by throwing rocks. It was far more amusing. The boy frowned.

"Why?" The man shrugged at the query.

"No reason." There was really no reason for what he was doing, besides that it amused him at the moment. The boy's frown deepened.

"But there's my village down there." The man paused, startled by the thought. The mortals living in the valley hadn't even crossed his mind. He turned his head to look, calculating the distances.

"Shouldn't make it that far." It was a fair ways. Although he couldn't be absolutely certain, because of how he was doing this. If he got a big enough chunk of the cliff it could, perhaps, reach that far. What would happen if it did? He wasn't sure. But why should he care?

"Shouldn't isn't too good when there might be people in the way." The boy said solemnly, and the man looked at his rock. Somehow, his fun wasn't very fun anymore. Tossing it away, he turned to the boy.

"What's your name?" He knew very little about mortals, just the usual things all elementals knew… but that told him that mortals had names, just as his kind did.

"Ienzo. What's yours?" The child looked up at him fearlessly, and he smiled. It was… impressive.

"Aeleus. Where are your parents?" He was sure they had to be somewhere nearby. Smart and fearless as the child was, he was much too young to be here alone. Ienzo frowned.

"Not sure. I lost them when I was looking at some birds." Aeleus tilted his head and listened to the earth for a moment. If they were close… ah. Yes. The earth brought vibrations to him.

_Ienzo!_ _Ienzo?_ A woman's voice and another child? Aeleus blinked, focusing his attention back on Ienzo.

"I think your mother is looking for you. And your brother?" The other child sounded male. Ienzo nodded.

"That's Myde, we're twins." Aeleus nodded and offered the boy his hand. Ienzo took it with a smile. He wasn't sure why, but he liked Aeleus. He couldn't know that the elemental was thinking the same thing… this child was oddly charming. He'd never felt anything like this before.

"I will take you to them." Aeleus wasn't sure, but he thought there were plenty of things that could happen to a child in the woods. And that would be a pity. He wanted to see what this child would look like fully grown. Taking the child through the woods, they slowly made their way to the voices. Soon, Ienzo could hear them too.

"Mama!" He pulled away from Aeleus and he let him go, but followed curiously as Ienzo ran to his family. A woman with soft blond hair grabbed and hugged him, tremendously relieved. So did another small boy, this one with sandy blond hair

"Where did you go, Ienzo? We were so worried! You're in serious time out!" Ienzo tried to protest, but she was looking up with a frown as Aeleus stepped out of the woods. "Who are you?" The second child looked at him curiously, but was too shy to speak.

"He's Aeleus." Ienzo spoke up. "I found him near the cliff and he brought me back."

"Oh." His mother said something in his ear in a low tone. Aeleus knew he probably wasn't meant to hear, but he heard anyway. Earth wasn't as good at vibrations as air, but it was better than water or fire, so his hearing was acute. "Are you okay Ienzo?" Aeleus wondered, briefly, what she thought he might have done to the boy. But then, he probably looked extremely peculiar by human standards. Ienzo looked puzzled for a moment.

"I'm fine mom. Aeleus was tossing boulders." That clearly didn't reassure her, and Aeleus suddenly turned away, walking back into the woods without a word. He could always find Ienzo later. The Earth could find anyone.

"Bye Aeleus!" He paused at that, and glanced back to see Ienzo waving with a smile. Smiling back, he waved.

"Bye Ienzo." As soon as he was out of sight, he vanished back into the Earth.

He wanted to keep his nature secret from them, for a time. It might be amusing.

* * *

"The information age is awesome." Axel said appreciatively as he typed as his laptop. Roxas smiled, amused.

"For us, anyway. I bet the atrox aqua aren't as thrilled." The oceans were a bit more polluted than they had been, a long time ago. But Roxas knew that wouldn't really bother the water elementals much. As long as it wasn't an actual taint, they took such changes for granted. Some of them would have been born in the first oceans, which would have been a chemical soup compared to the water that existed now. Still… "Since the gremlins won't talk to them at all." Despite being partly earth, which should have been an ally of water, gremlins utterly loathed it. Which made sense given that they were the elementals of machines.

"Most of them probably haven't noticed that gremlins exist yet." Axel said with a grin and Roxas nodded. After the problems with the 'angel', they had spent a good hundred years in the core. And when they arose, they had found that the world had been utterly transformed.

They were living in Vishrii now. The mainland of Norash, their old continent, hadn't quite recovered from the morbus ventus. Unsurprisingly, the plague had inflicted a gruesome death toll. Their town in the mountains was going strong, thanks to its location, but neither of them had wanted to go back. The house might not be tainted anymore but it held too many bad memories.

Vishrii, though, was interesting. A lot of people fleeing the plague had settled there and fortunately, the plague of the morbus ventus wasn't natural and even when people brought it with them, it petered out that far from the plague wind. So it was a mix of cultures now. The worship of the One God had vanished almost entirely here in favor of the worship of Gaia or the pantheon the Vishrii believed in. Gaia was considered to be a part of that, actually. In general, the people in their new home were very friendly. But most of them didn't know what the terra flamma were. They'd decided to do things a bit differently this time.

Axel and Roxas were finding new and interesting ways to apply their powers in the information age. Gremlins were absolutely everywhere and their natures partook of air and earth. Air was a natural ally of fire and earth was part of their natures, so the gremlins were eager to please as long as the two terra flamma asked nicely. So they were making a very good living as technomancers.

Technomancers were wizards who specialized in technology. Mostly expert programmers but sometimes not, they were adept at binding and commanding the gremlins. Gremlins could rewrite code and correct mechanical problems easily, but cooperation was grudging when they were bound so mostly technomancers just kept them away as they worked. Which was important, because when the gremlins decided to act up anything that could go wrong would go wrong. That might have made technology in general unusable if it weren't for the fact that gremlins each had their own 'home' in a piece of machinery and didn't like having to look for new homes. So although they could occasionally get cranky, the gremlins usually didn't push it far enough to get their homes scrapped. They could still go pretty far, though, so technomancers always had plenty of work.

Roxas and Axel weren't the best programmers or engineers out there, although they'd developed a certain level of skill. It helped when the gremlins were willing to tutor you. It helped even more when the gremlins were more than willing to do part of the work for you, and they had quickly developed a reputation as the best technomancer's in the city. Which might not be fair to the human ones, but life was never entirely fair.

"So, what shall we do tonight?" Axel said brightly, interrupting Roxas' musings. "We could go to a restaurant, we could go to a club, we could play Eternal War, we could walk along the seashore and insult the undines-"

"Oh no we couldn't. Last time you did that they sank a ship." Axel grinned like a naughty child, and Roxas shook his head with a smile. "You're terrible. I don't know why the undines talk to you." They might not do what he wanted, but the undines were still willing to speak to Axel. He shrugged.

"To know me is to love me. Although that probably wasn't love… we could go to the sky needle, that was fun." Roxas considered it. That had been almost another elemental disaster, when the sylphs circling the needle had decided to play with them in front of spectators. But it had been fun when they'd snuck back in after hours and let the sylphs have a real go at it. Getting jetted around the needle in fire form had definitely been a good time.

"Sounds good, but can we get some salty sweet ice cream first?" They'd have to eat it before they reached the needle or it would end up splattered everywhere, but that wouldn't be a problem. Roxas was finding he loved the salty ice cream. Axel nodded.

"Sure! I'd love some of that." Axel loved the salty sweet ice cream almost as much as Roxas. Shutting off his laptop, he stood and stretched. Soon they were heading out the door to hit up the ice cream parlor, then the sky needle.

It was a very good life here in the city of New Vasini.

* * *

"Aeleus? You there?" Ienzo was older now, sitting outside and doing his homework in the sun. Aeleus was uncertain of exactly how old the child was now. All he knew was that they had been conversing off and on for six seasons. He wasn't certain Ienzo's parents knew about him. He'd taken no great pains to hide his presence, but Ienzo seemed to call out to him mostly when they weren't home.

"Yes." Aeleus slid easily out of the ground, joining Ienzo at the picnic table. He looked over Ienzo's work curiously. "What are you working on?"

"Elementals, actually. I was thinking, since you're here, I should do a project on the gnomes." Aeleus smiled slightly. That was Ienzo, always logical. "Could you answer some questions for me?"

"Certainly." Aeleus was a bit amused by that and wondered what Ienzo's teachers would make of his citations. Ienzo was quite pedantic in his reports so Aeleus was sure it would be interesting if he listed it as an interview. "What would you like to know?"

"Well, what's it like to be a gnome?" Ienzo asked innocently and Aeleus considered it for a moment.

"What's it like to be a human?" Ienzo looked confused as Aeleus smiled. "Your question is too general. I have nothing to compare it to."

"Oh!" Ienzo thought for a moment, tugging on his bangs with one hand. "Well, in that case, what's it like living underground?" That was a much better question and Aeleus considered a moment before he answered.

"It's beautiful. You can feel the flexes and strains of the earth, sense all the different layers of rock and soil. And the rock speaks." Ienzo looked a little skeptical at that. "It vibrates. If you know how to read the vibrations, it can tell you things that are happening far, far away. It is very relaxing, just resting in the ground and listening to the voice of the earth." Ienzo quickly noted that down.

"That sounds really interesting. What powers do gnomes have, in general?" Aeleus thought hard about that question for a moment.

"Well, there are many hybrid elementals but for pure gnomes, our powers are very physical. The manipulation of matter is what we do best, particularly stone, dirt and metals. Gnomes also tend to have powers of healing, particularly when combined with the power of water. Water is our closest ally, since it often moves through the earth." Ienzo nodded. That was common knowledge. "We have no powers over people's minds and thoughts, unlike the sylphs and undines. Our nature tends to be protective, although the wrath of the earth can be terrible." Aeleus shrugged. "Earthquakes and landslides are our province."

"What kind of gnomes are there?" Ienzo asked and Aeleus smiled.

"There are many. First, there are the simple gnomes, the smallest spirits of the dirt. They can be encountered anywhere. Then there are the fawns. They are the spirits of the fertile earth, and often have some powers of water. They are only a little more powerful than gnomes but are better at healing, although not as good as some of the true hybrids." Aeleus paused for a moment, thinking, before he continued. "Next are the tumulus. They are the elementals of hills, mounds and graves. They are more connected to death than most gnomes and they often cause landslides. Above them are the erus, the spirits of stone. They are far more powerful and can be found in the deep earth, or mountains. They can be involved in earthquakes. And of course, above them all are the magnus terra, the mighty earth." Aeleus stopped there, but Ienzo asked.

"And what can the magnus terra do?" Aeleus hesitated, then shrugged.

"Anything." Ienzo just looked at him and Aeleus knew he wouldn't accept that answer. "The earth answers when we call. If we chose, we can make the earth part and unleash the fire of the core into the land. We can tear down mountains or rise them up… we are the earth." Ienzo blinked, then swallowed.

"Aeleus, if you're that powerful, why are you here?" Ienzo asked, and Aeleus considered it for a moment.

"I like speaking to you, Ienzo. I'm curious to see what you will look like as a grown man." Ienzo blushed lightly as Aeleus continued. "And when you found me, in the mountains, I was throwing rocks because I was bored and it was fun. We are capable of becoming bored but humans are rarely boring to us. So that is why I am here."

"I see." Ienzo wasn't sure how he felt about that, that Aeleus was following him around because he was bored, but the truth was the truth. And the part about him as a grown man was interesting. Ienzo vaguely wondered what Aeleus would have looked like as a child if he had ever been a child. Which he hadn't, so it was really a pointless speculation. "Well, that should be a good start to my report." Ienzo considered his notes for a moment. "Although I'm not sure how to explain you as a source. My teachers already think I'm really weird." Aeleus grinned as Ienzo echoed his earlier thoughts.

"If you need me to come to your school as a witness for your report, I would be glad to do so." Ienzo's eyes widened at the offer. "I've never seen a school before." Aeleus was very curious, too. He had stayed away so far out of a desire not to cause trouble for Ienzo, but he really would like to see the place where the boy spent most of his time.

"Really?" Ienzo looked like he wasn't sure if he should be amused or worried. "That might be good if Mrs. Allerton gives me a really hard time. Thanks, Aeleus."

"It's nothing. But do you have any raisin-oatmeal cookies?" Aeleus was quite fond of those. Ienzo laughed and stood.

"Sure! Mom always makes tons of them." She thought that Ienzo and Mynd were both eating them, and had no idea that Aeleus was actually the one who was getting most of them. Ienzo and Mynd both didn't like raisins. "I'll go get you some." Ienzo headed into the house as Aeleus watched with a smile.

He vaguely wondered what would happen if Ienzo's mother ever found out about the cookies. It might be interesting.


	2. Everyone doesn't love Raymond

_The earth vibrates. Aeleus napped in a warm cocoon of dirt and dreamed alien dreams of shifting stone and grinding earthspeech. Vibrations came to him and most he listened to idly in his doze, but then one impinged on his conscience._

"_Aeleus!"_

_His name with a hint of urgency. Throwing off his lethargy, the magnus terra rose up from the dirt._

"Ienzo?" Aeleus blinked as he saw the child looked close to crying. "What's wrong?"

"We-we're leaving Aeleus. Dad got transferred to New Vasini and we're going to be leaving next week." Ienzo suddenly hugged him and Aeleus blinked, patting the boy gently on the back. "I won't see you again!"

"Why wouldn't you?" Aeleus felt mystified. He had never seen a human city before, but there was no reason why he shouldn't. Ienzo blinked up at him with big blue eyes.

"But you live here and I-oh." He said in a small voice. "You mean you would go with us?" It hadn't really occurred to him that Aeleus would be willing to come along, although the whole move had only been sprung on him this morning. Ienzo really hadn't had much time to think about it.

"Of course." Aeleus was a little surprised that Ienzo would think otherwise. "In fact, you can carry me with you." Aeleus searched around for a moment, calling up and discarding several rocks before he found one that was perfect. It was about the size of a loaf of bread, full of quartz inclusions and made of hard, igneous rock. "This should do. I can live inside it for a time and you can take me with you." It would be a bit confining compared to living inside the ground. He wouldn't be able to hear the voice of the earth, but he would be able to listen in on Ienzo, his brother and his parents. It suddenly occurred to Aeleus that he should have thought of this years ago. It might have been interesting, learning more about the entire family. Well, there was no reason why he couldn't start right now. Aeleus handed the stone to Ienzo then rested his hands on it, vanishing into it in a swirl of dirt. The boy blinked and coughed, then looked at the stone in his hands. It seemed a little warmer and somehow, he could tell that Aeleus was inside it.

"Thanks Aeleus." Ienzo smiled suddenly, and it was brilliant and beautiful. "You're my best friend." Aeleus might have found that vaguely disturbing, but after a brief reflection he realized it was nothing but the truth.

Ienzo was his best friend too.

* * *

Roxas was sitting on the roof of his building, watching the people and cars go by and reflected on the amazing journey that was his life.

He'd been born in a time of kingdoms, where people had fought with swords and doorknobs were about the most advanced technology out there. His mother had traveled around in a cart pulled by a donkey and credit had involved sorcery, not science. Things were very different now. Before they had descended into the core, he and Axel had lived through the beginning of the industrial revolution. They had seen horseless carriages, guns and the rise of the gremlins. Despite the amazing changes he had seen in that brief time, Roxas hadn't really anticipated what could happen in a mere hundred years.

The world had been utterly transformed. There were cars now, computers, great flying machines called airplanes. They hadn't been completely unprepared… the whispers of the earth had brought them news of what humanity was doing, even in the core… but the change had still been amazing to see. Roxas gazed out over great skyscrapers and wished for a moment that he was a sylph. The sylphs could see and feel so much just from the vibrations constantly streaming through the air. People often forgot that cell phones were not in any way, shape or form private. It was the easiest thing for an air wizard to bind a sylph to a particular person and command them to listen in and remember all their cell phone conversations. And gremlins could do the same to land wires, decoding the transmissions flowing through the metal. Of course, that was different from his own time not at all. Earth and air had always made the best spies.

_::RoxasRoxasRoxas!:: _As if his musings about air had summoned them, a pair of sylphs suddenly gusted around him. Roxas laughed as they tickled him and smiled as they resolved into a pair of beautiful little faeries. They were both almost translucent, with great, iridescent dragonfly wings that beat like a hummingbird's. Exquisitely beautiful, androgynous faces smiled at him and while they appeared to be nude, they had no obvious sex. _::Humans are so funny! Want to see what's on channel 523?::_

"Sure." Roxas said obligingly and the sylphs swirled around his head, imparting a vision. Roxas laughed as he watched the TV transmission in his own mind. It was one of the sillier gameshows out there, where people had to complete insane obstacle courses for dubious rewards. The sylphs giggled happily as a man was bapped good and hard by padded, rotating arm and sent splashing into the water. "I think his feet hit his head!"

_::So funny!::_ The sylphs sang out, and Roxas could only agree. _::Oh!::_ One of the sylphs exclaimed to the other. _::Were we here for a reason?::_

_::I don't know. Do you know???::_ The second sylph asked as the first danced around. Roxas sighed as the picture in his mind dissolved but noted the channel to himself. He and Axel had a full cable package so he could always go watch it later. _::Was there a message?::_

"A message?" Roxas suddenly paid attention to the sylphs. "From Sora?" After he had risen from the core, he'd gotten in touch with the young altus ventus again. He'd found out that Riku had become an altus ventus too, after Sora had begged Gaia for her boon. Axel had commented that it had probably only been granted because being turned into an elemental was not really a reward. It was more like a punishment. Roxas frowned faintly, pressing his hand to his chest for a moment. He didn't regret it a bit, but remembering the moment when his soul had been transformed could still pain him. He was all too aware of what he had lost to join Axel.

_::Sora! Yes! Great winds, high winds! They made us repeat the message a lot.::_ The sylph said confidentially, and Roxas laughed.

"Let me guess. You've forgotten it anyway?" Sylphs did better for wizards because wizards could bind them. The higher elementals could only ask nicely, and that just didn't concentrate the sylphs enough although it worked well for water, earth and fire.

_::No!:: _A pause as both sylphs looked a little gloomy, or as gloomy as air elementals could look. _::Maybe a bit.::_

"Just tell me what you remember before you forget it all." Roxas suggested with good humor. He was sure Sora and Riku had expected half the message to get lost before it reached him.

_::SoSo and RiRi want to come visit you! The altus ventus are getting a little annoyed with humans and they don't want to listen.:: _Roxas blinked. Annoyed with humans? That wasn't a good thing to hear about something as powerful as the high winds. _::They say it's just silly whinging about interrupted songs and they need to sing with the satellites and sky things instead of crying like babies.::_

"I hope they're not really upset." Roxas said with some trepidation and the sylphs both laughed.

_::Not really, they like to watch TV too! Everyone loves TV! Everybody loves Raymond!::_

_::No they don't everyone loves the Golden Girls!::_

_::NO! RAYMOND!::_

_::DOROTHY!:: _Roxas laughed as the two sylphs dissolved into a slugging match. Soon one of them was flying away and crying about the other being mean to her. Roxas shook his head, expecting that the loser would be back any minute. He was right. Almost instantly, the sylph was back as if nothing at all had happened.

"When are Sora and Riku coming?" Roxas asked, trying to keep the two of them focused as they started wrangling about the merits of various candies. He vaguely wondered if they two of them had been sneaking into candy shops and licking the merchandise. Not that it would hurt the humans who bought them any, since air elementals didn't really have spit, but it was a slightly disturbing thought. It was almost a pity he and Axel couldn't do things like that, but unlike sylphs they left oil behind when they licked something.

_::Sometime this year!::_ One of the sylphs answered happily. _::Say, you have candy don't you? I want some candy! Candy!::_ Roxas sighed and dug a piece of gum out of his pocket, breaking it in half and giving it to the sylphs. _::GUM!:: _They immediately started blowing bubbles. It was something sylphs always excelled at.

"Did they say when this year?" The sylphs had probably just forgotten the exact dates. Unless Sora and Riku hadn't given a date, which was quite possible actually. The altus ventus had perfect recollection but didn't necessarily care about human standards of time.

_::Sorry just before Xactimis!:: _Roxas blinked, trying to interpret that. Fortunately, the other sylph handled it.

_::Stupid! That's from long ago! Winter solstice celebration!::_ That caught Roxas up.

"You mean the Night of the Gods." The pantheon of the Vishrii had a special celebration on the winter solstice where everyone exchanged gifts and made sacrifices to the gods. He and Axel always made a good sized donation to the temple of Gaia, although they didn't go the rest of the year. It would have seemed a little silly, since they could actually speak to Gaia if they chose. And besides, worship was for people who actually had concern about their immortal souls. Axel and Roxas knew that this existence was all they had. "Cool, I'll have to get them something." Although they wouldn't be able to take anything he got them with them when they went back to the roof of the world. Still, it would be a good thought. Or he could just get them something edible, that would work well. "Thank you both." Something occurred to him and he suddenly grinned. "Hey, go bug Axel. Tell him he should give you candy."

_::CANDY!::_ The two sylphs flowed down the side of the building and through a window. Roxas could hear Axel's surprised screech from where he was sitting, and laughed.

"Get out of my PANTS! NO! That is NOT candy!" Roxas laughed even harder at that. His hearing as a fire sprite was more acute than it had been as a human, but he was pretty sure some of the neighbors could hear Axel too. Fortunately, they already had a well established reputation for being weird. Sparks suddenly flowed up the wall of the building and resolved themselves into a flustered fire sprite. "Roxas, why did you just sic two sylphs on me?"

"I knew it would get you up here. Guess what? Sora and Riku are coming to visit us before the winter solstice!" Roxas said with a grin, and that easily diverted Axel.

"Really? Neat! We'll have to take them to the canal. We can get some hot chocolate and go ice skating." Unlike being on top of the ocean, being on top of a river didn't bother the terra flamma much. Probably because their fires could scorch a river into nothing, where the ocean would easily extinguish them. "And we should get them a present." Roxas grinned. Great minds thought alike.

"I was thinking it should be edible since-" That was as far as he got before there was a whoosh of air and the two sylphs were hovering in front of them, carrying a bag of sea salt toffee candy between them. Roxas was amazed that they were managing to carry it. It was a big bag, and not exactly light.

_::Candy!::_ The two sylphs caroled as Axel swore in the language of fire. _::Lots of burning love and thank you very much!::_

"They found your stash?" Roxas couldn't help but laugh, and Axel shook his head, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

"So they did. You owe me a bag of toffee from the nut place." Axel sat down beside him on the edge of the roof. "So what are you doing?"

"Just watching the city. It's so beautiful, isn't it?" Perception was more a thing of air, but Roxas could shift his vision so he was seeing heat. That was beautiful, especially as the sun was going down. Axel put an arm around him with a smile.

"It surely is." And they sat together, watching the sun go down over the city and just being together.

Nothing brought them more pleasure than just being together.

* * *

"Ienzo, why do you have that rock in the car?" Myde asked, puzzled, as he strummed on his sitar. Ienzo sighed.

"It's my pet rock." He said, completely deadpan, as Myde laughed. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to put his brother off for long.

"No, seriously, why do you have a rock in the car?" Ienzo almost groaned as he saw his mother glance back curiously. She was a slender, beautiful woman with blond hair like Myde. His father was silver haired like him, and he was driving at the moment, keeping a close watch on the road.

"If you absolutely must know, Aeleus is inside it." Ienzo wasn't worried about telling them that. Well, not too much. They would never believe him, although it might cause problems for him in a completely different way. Aeleus wasn't aware of it, but Ienzo had been dragged to several councilors already to help him with his behavior. Ienzo regarded it all as beneath his contempt. A few times, he'd been tempted to ask Aeleus to just walk into the house and prove his existence to his family, but each time he'd clutched the secret close to his heart. Aeleus was his friend, no one else's. Particularly not Myde's. Ienzo loved his brother, but Myde had a knack at making friends that the silver haired boy lacked. It was hard not to resent it sometimes and if Aeleus had started liking his brother more, Ienzo thought it would have just been too much to bear.

"Oh Ienzo, not that again." His mother sounded almost despairing, and Ienzo glared, clutching the rock close to his chest. He could feel a vibration from it and thought that Aeleus might be laughing. The elemental missed the point of a lot of more subtle jokes, but slapstick and really obvious comedy was something he enjoyed so Ienzo wasn't surprised he would think this was funny. "I thought we went through this already with Dr. Sherman."

"Dr. Sherman is an idiot." Ienzo snapped as Myde looked a little worried. "He doesn't even believe in elementals besides gremlins! I don't know why you sent me to that ignoramous."

"Ienzo." His father said, and the warning in his name made him slump down sullenly and look out the window. His mother tried to take an upbeat approach.

"Well, the new school you're going to will have a good councilor I'm sure. And it will be much bigger, with a better band and probably a chess club." Ienzo was slightly diverted by that. Nothing was going to make him and Myde happy about the move, but their mother really did have a point. They would be able to find like-minded friends more easily in a big school… if they could make friends at all. Ienzo glowered out the window as Myde chatted with their mom. Of course, he wasn't worried, he could make friends everywhere. But Ienzo was the prickly one and he knew it.

But no matter what, he would have Aeleus. Ienzo took a deep breath, then cuddled the rock, brushing his cheek against the rough, quartz-riddled surface for a moment.

It was comforting to know he would always have a friend.

* * *

"Axel, you look good enough to eat." Roxas admired his partner, and Axel grinned, his green eyes glowing with pleasure.

"So do you Roxy." Roxas shook his head with a smile. He thought Axel looked much better than him. Axel was wearing an amazing silk shirt he'd picked up in the Arnan section of town. It was a dark red, verging on black, and when Axel moved it slowly shifted from red to black and back again. His collar was unbuttoned to show off his necklace, and it was a beauty. Industrial jewelry was the newest fad, and the polished bronze gears, set with black gems and linked together to form a pendant looked absolutely glorious against Axel's tanned skin. Along with his tattoos, Axel was a truly striking sight. Roxas, on the other hand, was almost his opposite. He was wearing a light blue shirt with mother of pearl buttons. His necklace was another industrial piece, but it was a bright golden key set with the movement of an old watch. The movement had been polished and glittered like a gem with little gears and filigree, and it had been set with a few tiny sapphires and the key had been set with pearls. "It's like you're the light to my dark." Roxas blinked at that, and looked down at himself them back up at Axel. It was true.

"Well, we'll make a perfect pair then." He said teasingly and took Axel's arm. "Care to lead the way, my dark knight?" Axel grinned and got the door for them.

"Certainly!" They only passed one person on their way out, a middle-aged woman who shot them a dirty look that the two elementals both ignored. They were renting a huge, beautiful apartment and so far they hadn't been kicked out. It would probably happen eventually when something went spectacularly wrong, but it hadn't happened yet and that was all that mattered. How the other tenants felt about them was irrelevant.

Right now, they were on their way to what was basically a business dinner. They had been invited to the annual convocation of technomancers, programmers and assorted other wizards. Although very few of them would be actual sorcerers, which was good. He and Roxas would be concealing their auras but there was always the possibility that a really good elemental wizard would sniff them out. Although with the knowledge of binding greater elementals lost to humanity, that would only be annoying rather than a threat to life.

"I heard that the convocation is going to be extra big this year." Roxas said conversationally as Axel hailed a cab. "Something about a bunch of programmers from outlying areas getting moved into the city to consolidate operations for Mishiri Corp."

"Oh? I bet the programmers were thrilled." One of the best things about Mishiri had been that they had allowed people to live in all kinds of locations and organized web meetings to get everyone in touch. It had seemed to work very well, too. Axel held open the door of the cab for Roxas, who grinned and slipped inside, the redhead following. "Why would they do such a daft thing as that?"

"They got a new CEO, he doesn't think they have proper oversight." Roxas rolled his eyes and Axel winced. "Yeah, everyone is complaining, but what can they do?"

"Makes me glad we're freelancers." He and Roxas did what they wanted, when they wanted. Companies begged them for their services as troubleshooters and private citizens could barely afford their rates, although the desperate still came. They were very well paid indeed. Axel and Roxas didn't really care about the money at all, but they had discovered a great fondness for awesome vacations so they were indulging themselves a bit lately. "Speaking of that, what's our next contract?"

"Sorting out the production lines for the new Shirshi laptops. They're having problems with overheating and factory defects." Axel nodded as he remembered. They would have to depend on the gremlins heavily to sort out something like that, but that was fine. The gremlins were probably at fault in the first place and if they weren't, they would know how to fix it.

Axel and Roxas were chatting about their work when the cab pulled up to the convention building. Axel paid the cabby with his credit card and they both stepped out, looking up at the building for a moment. It was a very modern design of chrome and glass, and looked very nice. Smiling, Axel pushed open the door and held it for Roxas, who blushed and shook his head but didn't protest.

"You can be so embarrassing sometimes." He murmured to Axel, who grinned. Soon they were in the convocation hall, and Axel made a beeline for the food, to Roxas' amusement. "So very embarrassing." Although the appetizers were definitely worth a second look. Were those sushi cones with a bit of wasabi on top? Roxas had to grab one. Axel went for some mini-hamburgers, each small enough to be eaten with a single bite. "Don't eat too many, Axel." That was a real concern, since the terra flamma just incinerated anything they ate. Axel smiled at Roxas, his green eyes warm.

"I'll be good, I promise." And he was, not taking more than one of each appetizer although he was more free with the alcohol. Light, bubbly drinks were being carried around on cocktail trays and Axel easily snagged a few. Soon they were networking, chatting up friends and colleagues that they had met in their work and before they knew it, they were being introduced to some of the newcomers from Mishiri Corp. Axel's attention suddenly sharpened and Roxas looked puzzled as a small family was introduced to them by a friend.

"This is Wyrio and Veria Mandali. They just arrived in the city this week." Roxas easily identified them as Arnan on the strength of their names, although the father's pale skin and silvery hair was typical too. The two children with them looked to be about twelve, and the blond one smiled at them while the silver haired boy looked away sullenly. His hair had an odd tint of purple to it that was very striking and Roxas wondered if it was natural. Then he frowned as he noticed that Axel was almost staring at the boy, and nudged him surrepitously, making him blink.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Roxas and this is Axel." Wyrio laughed, showing very even, white teeth and he clasped Roxas hand.

"I've heard of you. You have quite a reputation as miracle workers. Hopefully, you'll be able to keep living up to it." Axel grinned at that, and shook his hand when it was offered.

"Oh, we live up, or rather down to our reputation quite easily. You'll see." Axel smiled as his glance traveled back over the children. "These are?"

"Our boys, Ienzo and Myde." Wyrio said promptely, and Myde waved with a cheerful hello as Ienzo looked away. "Ienzo is a little shy." The boy glanced up and Axel caught a flash of hostility in his eyes.

"Well, I'm sure they'll do well here." Roxas said diplomatically. "There are really good schools in the city." Or so he had heard. Roxas didn't really care, since no one was going to get him back into a school again except at knifepoint. And then he'd try to melt the knife. They parted ways with the family and Roxas blinked as Axel tugged him to an out of the way corner so he could whisper in his ear. In the language of fire, for good measure.

_::Did you feel the earth scent all over that boy?::_ Roxas frowned. He hadn't actually caught it, but Axel was far more sensitive to earth than he was.

_::No. That's odd.::_ To pick up the scent of an elemental, a mortal would need to be in close association with him or her over a long period. Roxas had probably had the scent of fire and earth all over him, when he'd been Axel's mortal lover. _::What does it mean?::_

_::I'm not sure. But he must be around a lot of gnomes, or one really powerful one.:: _Axel scratched his ear thoughtfully for a moment, then shrugged. _::I suppose it doesn't concern us.::_

_::No, not really.:: _Although, as they went back to the party, Roxas had an odd feeling it would come back to haunt them someday.


	3. Firey Frying Pan 'o Death

_::Wow! I can't believe how much it's changed!::_

_::It is amazing.:: _Riku agreed as he and Sora swept over the city. People stopped and gripped hats and purses as the winds gusted over them and others buttoned up their winter coats. It wasn't a terribly cold day, but with the two altus ventus moving through the city it was certainly a windy one. Riku briefly swirled into Sora and the other altus ventus batted him away with a laugh.

They were both Gaia's youngest children and, like youngest children generally are, they had been a little spoiled in the upper reaches. Despite how Riku had joined them, the other altus ventus were friendly. Even Terra and Ventus had forgiven them, helped by the fact that Terra was alive. The only person who hadn't really forgiven Riku was Riku himself, and sometimes he could fall into depressions. But Sora could generally rouse him out of it and eventually, the pain of his mistakes would begin to fade.

_::Here!::_ Sora laughed and swirled into Axel's and Roxas' apartment through the window. It wasn't open, but that didn't matter. The tiniest hole was an opening for the air. Riku followed closely behind him. _::Oh, they're not home.::_

_::Should we go to a coffee shop and wait for them to get home?:: _Riku sounded uncertain and Sora felt the same way. They had been human and didn't really feel right about just invading Axel's and Roxas' home. On the other hand…

"We haven't got any money." Sora said in the language of air as he assumed a human form, and Riku followed. "And, well, I don't understand what's going on very well." Riku nodded feelingly. Despite talking with the sylphs quite a bit they were both quite a bit behind on human progress and stealing money was out. Leaving aside the morality of it, Riku and Sora lacked the fine touch needed to pilfer money. That kind of control only came with time, and Ventus didn't have it yet so neither of them expected to gain it anytime soon.

"Let's make ourselves at home then. I'm sure they won't mind." Riku was in fact pretty sure of that. Axel certainly wouldn't mind and Roxas would see the logic. Sora started exploring the kitchen as Riku tried to figure out the TV. He knew what TV was, he'd been watching the programs from the satellite signals beamed through the atmosphere, but he had never seen the actual item before. The buttons were puzzling.

"RIKU!" Riku ran into the kitchen at the panicked cry. Sora was standing by the stove with a flaming, cast iron pan. "I don't know what I did wrong! I just wanted to make some food! Oh no what do I do what do I do?!?"

"Don't panic, we're air elementals. We can- SORA!" Riku tried to stop him but couldn't reach the brunette before he tossed the entire frying pan, flames and all, out the window. Utterly appalled, he rushed to the window to stare and saw as the pan narrowly avoided beaning an elderly woman out for an innocent morning walk. He pulled back and yanked Sora with them before she could look up and spot them. "Um. Yes. As I was about to say, we're air elementals. You just had to pull the air away to smother the flames."

"Oh!" Sora ran a hand through his spiky hair, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I hadn't thought of that." Riku smiled and cuddled him for a moment.

"Its fine, no one was hurt." Although it had been a near thing. Riku was glumly certain that the frying pan could have killed that woman. "Don't worry about it. We'll be fine as long as no one figures out it come from here. C'mon, let's have some bread. What were you trying to make, anyway?" Riku found the breadbox and got them each a slice of rather interesting bread. It was full of nuts and looked tasty.

"Bacon." Sora said, shamefaced. "I've really missed bacon." Riku grinned as he took a bite of the bread. He'd missed eating, period, but after what he'd gone through he'd been glad to escape to the high winds.

"Well, wait for Roxas and Axel. I'm sure they'll show you how to cook. Or ask the gremlin in the stove." Riku was sure there was one. Gremlins were everywhere and they always had useful information for everyone except water elementals. They seemed to delight in imparting information, in fact. Gossip was their main hobby. Speaking of which… Riku spoke to the TV in the language of air and a tiny little gremlin slithered out. Gremlins were incredibly varied in appearance, and this one looked like a little clockwork toy, full of flashing lights and rotating parts. It cheerfully helped Riku out with the remote control and soon he and Sora were watching a gameshow. They were both dozing off on the couch when the front door opened.

"What's… oh hey Sora, Riku!" Axel said cheerfully, setting a few bags onto the table before pulling out his cell phone and flicking it open. "Roxas was getting us some take away food, I better ask him to get extra. When did you guys get in?" Then, to his cell. "Roxas! Guess who's here? Your two favorite sylphs! Yeah, can you get a couple of extra burritos? Awesome." Axel put the phone away as Riku grinned and Sora shook his head. The information age was clearly going to take some getting used to.

"We just got in this morning. Where were you guys? Working?" Axel nodded, putting away the groceries before flopping down in a chair across from them.

"Working out why laptops were overheating and how to fix the problem. Turned out there was a really malicious gremlin at the facility, we finally had to put him down. The other gremlins were mostly relieved." Axel frowned slightly as he thought about it. Most elementals weren't malicious that way unless they were bound. Gremlins though just sometimes seemed to go… bad. A gremlin like that wouldn't stop messing up the works even when his or her home was endangered and while it distressed the other gremlins, they usually wouldn't take action against the perpetrator. Axel had no idea what caused that urge in gremlins but it worried him. Shaking away the thought, Axel looked at the TV and snorted. "Wipe out? That's Roxas' favorite show."

"The sylphs all like it." Riku agreed. "Is it just me, or do elementals have a very physical sense of humor?" He'd found the more subtle programs interesting, but most of the altus ventus didn't like them. Terra and a few others who had spent a lot of time around humans were the only exceptions. Axel grinned, amused.

"It's because most of the jokes go over our heads. But anyone can understand a pie in the face." Sora giggled and Axel tossed him a wink, which made him giggle even more. "Anyway! Now that you're here we'll have to finish the rest of our work this month, but then we can take some time off and show you guys around properly."

"That would be wonderful." Sora said shyly as Riku nodded. "There's so much we don't know-oh!" The door opened again and Sora shot up to glomp the blonde opening it. "Roxas!"

"Sora!" Roxas dropped the bag of burritos to hug his brother. They hadn't been brothers in Sora's last incarnation and the brunette couldn't quite remember, but they'd quickly bonded again. It just felt right. "How have you been?"

"Great! Riku and I had a wonderful time singing in the high winds." Sora said happily. For the altus ventus in the high winds, singing was an all-encompassing activity. It was like living the songs of the world. "And watching TV. We know a bit about things from TV."

"TV isn't exactly reliable, Sora." Roxas said tactfully as Axel grabbed the food, extracting the warm, foil wrapped burritos and passing one to Riku. Riku was a bit puzzled by it for a moment but quickly figured out the wrapping and bit into his burrito. Sora shrugged good-naturedly and sat down beside Riku, taking a burrito.

"If it's all you've got… oh, these are good!" Sora said as he bit down into the food. "What are they?"

"Burritos. Don't ask me where they came from originally, I haven't a clue." Roxas answered, and the four elementals chatted happily for a while about the various things that had been going on in their lives. Sora and Riku had fascinating stories of flying over the sea and dipping down into the water so they could sing to the whales. Roxas vaguely wished he could do something like that, but it was completely against his nature. The closest he could come to air and water songs was the vibrations of earth, and that just wasn't the same. Then Axel started telling them an amusing story about some of the gremlins they had met in their work and the insane things they got up to. Roxas interjected a few times, filling in the details Axel missed, and found he was having a very good time indeed.

It was good to be able to speak to people they could share their true natures with.

* * *

Ienzo scowled at his books, irritated. The teacher was boring and the subject matter was beneath him. He already knew more about the nature of elementals than this man had ever learned. Although the binding spells were interesting, but they made him vaguely uneasy. How would Aeleus feel about him binding the lesser elementals to his will? He would have to ask the magnus terra about it. As a human, he couldn't just ask them to help out the way Aeleus did, he would need to bind them.

Ienzo didn't offer to answer any questions. He knew that was a way to get in trouble with his classmates, and he didn't care what his boring teachers thought of him. He idly doodled in his book, drawing pictures of geodes and intriguing rocks, carefully shading them to make them look three dimensional.

"Ienzo!" The man called his name and Ienzo flinched before giving him a flinty glare. What was this teacher's name? He didn't know and he didn't care. "Since you're so diligently taking notes," the sarcasm was heavy and half the class giggled as Ienzo set his jaw angrily. "Perhaps you could tell us the classifications of water elementals." That didn't require much thought. Ienzo had been most curious about earth, but he'd asked Aeleus about the other elements too. Air was the only area where the magnus terra couldn't help him, and he'd looked them up for completeness sake.

"There are the minor undines of streams and ponds." He began, not bothering to keep the irritation out of his voice. "Next are the naiads of rivers. Above them are the revenants of the great lakes and landlocked oceans. More powerful still are the dominus aqua, the spirits of the great ocean. Above them all are the atrox aqua, the spirits of the cold depths. Is that enough?" Everyone was looking at him strangely, but Ienzo didn't care. Myde winced as the teacher looked extremely pissed off.

"That is enough of your attitude, Ienzo. Report to the study hall for detention after the class is over!" Ienzo just shrugged and went back to his doodling. He didn't care if he got detention, although his parents were starting to bother him about it. But he had resolved not to care about that either.

They had been at this new school for a couple months and while Myde was fitting in well, Ienzo wasn't. There wasn't much of a chess club and no one was as passionate about elementals as he was. The closest thing he had to friends was Xemnas and his group of technomancer wannabies. Xemnas worried him a bit. There was something a bit… off about the other boy, but he was so compelling. When he focused those yellow eyes on Ienzo the silver-hair found that it was almost impossible to say no to the older boy. At least being around Xemnas and the others was interesting. They could understand him when he talked about elementals. Lunch came too slowly, but finally he was getting his food and taking a place in the lunch room.

"Hey Ienzo!" Ienzo looked up, annoyed, as something obnoxious sat down across from him. It was Dilan, another one of his 'friends', and Ienzo decided to tolerate the intrusion. Xemnas and the others would probably be here soon to divert the boy anyway. "I hear you got detention again. They should just label one of those desks with your name permanently."

"Probably." Ienzo agreed shortly, eating his sandwich. "That's a new look for you." Dilan was sporting dreadlocks now. They must have taken him considerable work to get into shape and they actually looked rather good on him, Ienzo thought. Dilan shook them back, grinning.

"Yeah, it turned out better than I expected. I think I'm gonna keep 'em. Oh hey Myde." Dilan greeted his brother warmly as Ienzo went back to his food. Soon Myde was chatting with the other boy, which was rather a relief. He just wasn't any good at small talk, even with people he almost liked. The only real exception was Aeleus.

"I can't believe you got detention again!" Myde suddenly said to him and Ienzo grimaced, irritated. "Mom and dad are going to ground you again."

"Good. I'll be away from you." Myde looked a bit injured at that response, and Ienzo sighed. "Sorry Myde." It was hard to be really nasty to his brother. He could put on such a kicked puppy expression when he was feeling hurt. He really didn't mind being grounded, though.

In the city they hadn't been able to get a house like they had rented in the country. They were living in an apartment surrounded by other people and without any natural stone for miles. Aeleus claimed not to mind living in his rock and he certainly spent a great deal of time speaking to the gnomes, but Ienzo couldn't help but feel badly about the having the magnus terra living in a rock in his room. It seemed so confining, but it also meant that being grounded wasn't a punishment at all. As long as they kept their voices down, he and Aeleus could talk all night with no one being the wiser. Detention was more of a punishment since it kept him away from the earth spirit.

Soon Xemnas and Braig had joined them at the table. Ienzo wondered, as always, what fight with a lawnmower Braig had lost. His scars and eyepatch were impressive. But as always, he decided not to ask. The rest of the meal passed pleasantly enough and soon they were back in class. He actually paid attention to the next class since it dealt with chemistry, a subject he was not already excellent at. As he began an experiment involving several stones and acids, Ienzo vaguely wished that Aeleus was there. He wouldn't have needed all the tedious measuring with the magnus terra present. He could have told him the effects of the acids on the stones down to the tiniest drop with just a look. Ienzo sometimes thought that it wasn't good that he depended so much on the earth spirit, but had decided long ago that he didn't care.

He would be lost without Aeleus.

* * *

Elsewhere, at approximately the same time.

"That was great!" Riku pulled off his scarf, his cheeks rosy from the cold wind outside. They had all gone down to the canal and had a roaring good time skating, drinking hot cider and eating beaver tails. Axel had looked truly adorable in pink, fuzzy earmuffs. He was pulling them off now and hanging them up on a hook by the door, holding a bunch of mail in one hand. "Is there any coffee?"

"Right over here." Roxas said cheerfully, pouring Axel and Riku cups before getting one for himself. Sora preferred tea, and Axel was sipping his coffee as he thoughtfully looked through the mail, ripping open envelopes and extracting the letters.

"Hm. Hey Roxas, how do you fancy being homeless?" Roxas looked up at him startled, and Axel shrugged and tossed a letter onto the table. "Our latest eviction notice." Sora and Riku both stared, shocked, as Roxas picked it up and read it with a small frown.

"Were you two responsible for the fiery frying pan of death?" Roxas inquired and Sora hid his face in his hands as Riku winced.

"Oh god I'm sorry Roxas! I didn't mean to get you evicted, it was an accident." Sora felt incredibly guilty now. Axel laughed and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it Sora. They were looking for a reason to get rid of us." He hesitated a moment, then spoke gently. "I'm sorry Roxy, but it's time we bit the bullet and bought a house." Roxas looked almost pained at the thought, but took a deep breath and nodded firmly. He'd been avoiding getting a new house due to the bad memories of what had happened in the last one. The time he had spent in the core, being surrounded by the beautiful flows of power and being comforted by the other terra flamma had made all the difference and helped him recover from the trauma of his rape. But some things could remind him, and being in an apartment building had helped Roxas forget.

"Nothing with a big yard." He said firmly. If he was going to be in a house, he wanted it to be a very urban sort of house with lots of neighbors. Not a wilderness retreat like the last one. Axel nodded, his green eyes serious.

"Right." He glanced over the letter and suddenly laughed. "We only have thirty days to get out. Wow, they really are eager to get rid of us! You'd think we hadn't paid our rent." Axel shook his head, taking a deep gulp of his coffee before putting it on the table with a thump. "Well, good thing we don't have any work this month. Riku, Sora, how would you guys like to help us pick out a house?" Sora brightened at the thought.

"We'd love to!" Riku smiled and nodded. He wasn't that into looking at houses, but Sora's enthusiasm was infectious. "Can we look for one with a hot tub?" He asked wistfully, and Roxas laughed as Axel grinned.

"Sure! Why not?" They had plenty of money in the bank and a hot tub would be very welcome. Axel treated himself to a brief image of what he and Roxas could do with a hot tub, and realized Roxas was watching him. Meeting warm blue eyes, he suddenly knew that the blonde had had the exact same fantasy, or one very similar.

This forced move might prove to be a good thing.


	4. Sex Makes the Earth Move

"I love my hot tub." Axel leaned back, his red hair damp and sticking to his shoulders. He and Roxas were keeping the water hot easily, and it was almost boiling. Nothing could have been more pleasant to the two terra flamma except maybe a bath of oil. But they'd have to worry about accidentally setting that on fire, and it would be a devil to clean up afterwards so water would just have to do.

"Our hot tub!" Axel grinned as Roxas pouted playfully. The blonde was across from him in the hot tub, luxuriating in the hot water and the steam filling the room.

The house they had finally bought had been expensive, but Axel and Roxas thought it was worth it. It had four bedrooms which would give them a room for Riku and Sora as well as any other visitors they might have. Not human visitors, Axel and Roxas couldn't really open their home to humans without risking their nature getting out, but elemental ones. One terra flamma had stopped by a few years ago for a couple weeks, getting oriented to the human world before departing for places unknown. Axel wouldn't be the least bit surprised if several others eventually showed up. Gremlins were interesting even to the laziest elemental in the core and they owed plenty of the other fire sprites a favor for helping save Roxas. No doubt they would be by someday to collect and it was good to be prepared.

"Our hot tub, yesss…" Axel ducked under the water for a moment, his eyes closed, and surfaced with a gasp, shaking his head and spraying water over the dark blue and tan stone tiles. The house was very luxurious, and it showed in the decorating which was modern and very interesting. The sales agent had told them that a famous designer had handled the interior décor personally, and it showed. The house had come fully furnished, which had meant they'd needed to get rid of a lot of their old things, but that was mostly a plus. A lot of it had been getting worn out anyway. Although… "I'm going to get our stash tomorrow, along with Sora. Try not to get in trouble with Riku, hey?" Axel looked at Roxas in concern as his eyes turned haunted. They both knew what he was referring to.

The old house back in the mountains had contained all their treasures… including a well hidden stash of gold and silver coins. Axel doubted anyone had found them and the price of gold had gone up significantly with the information age. If they could get that treasure back this house would be completely paid for and that would be a lot nicer than having to make mortgage payments. It was worth a trip but only for Axel. For Roxas, the memories associated with the place were too terrifying. They were very nearly as bad for Riku so Axel had decided to take Sora along with him. He could have gone alone, but that would have made everyone worried.

"Just come back quickly." Even with Sora as backup Roxas would be antsy until Axel was home safely. Then he suddenly smiled. "I'll give you some encouragement to hurry back…" He slipped forward in the tub and their lips met for a deep, passionate kiss. Axel groaned softly as his very hot, very desirable blonde straddled his waist and molded his body against him. "Is that a stick in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" Roxas teased softly, and Axel grinned.

"We're in the hot tub, Roxy, and I haven't got any pockets. Looks like I'm glad to see you." He responded playfully, nuzzling the blonde's throat and gently nipping his soft, sweet skin and breathing in his scent. Roxas smelled like a terra flamma should, like hot metal, sulfur and smoke. Axel savored the burning heat against him, reaching behind Roxas to open him up a little, although it wasn't really necessary anymore. Roxas moaned and rubbed against him, sliding smoothly with the water, and Axel gasped as the blonde pushed against his fingers.

"Axel, come on. I want to feel you inside me." Roxas said, his voice breathy with desire, and Axel grinned, pulling away his fingers and positioning the blonde in his lap, slowly going inside. Roxas groaned and tossed his head back at the wonderful feeling of his lover filling him, and Axel began to slowly move, thrusting in and out in a slow, intimate rhythm. The two elementals were both unaware as the water began to boil around them. "Ax-el…!" Roxas speeded the rhythm, the feeling of water slick skin against skin driving him wild. He gripped Axel's shoulders tightly as the redhead slid his larger hands along his back, up his spine and whispered sweet nothings in the language of fire. Roxas shivered at the hot breath against his ear, his breath hitching as he felt his orgasm coming closer. "I love you." He moaned out as Axel kissed his shoulder, then quickly licked his collarbone. It all felt so good…

"I love you too, my sweet Roxas." Blue eyes met green and Axel speeded his thrusts, the two of them nearing their release. Roxas came first, the fiery liquid stirring the water to a roiling boil, and Axel came a moment later, filling him. The two of them were limp, tangled together for a long moment before Roxas noticed something amiss.

"Oh… shit!" The water was churning as if it had been put on the stove and Roxas stared, appalled, as it spilled over the bathroom tiles. That couldn't possibly be good. Axel made a soft, confused sound as Roxas drew the heat away, cooling the water to something a human could survive. "That can't be good for the tiling." He wouldn't be surprised if they were well on their way to destroying the bathroom. Axel blinked, then laughed and nuzzled him.

"Don't worry, Roxas. We can always get a new tub." He said lazily, and kissed his hot, sweet blonde on the lips. Roxas sighed, returning the kiss.

"Hurry home so we can do this again." He whispered in Axel's ear, and the redhead laughed.

"I'll be back so fast you won't even know I was gone." He promised with a smile. A promise he intended to keep.

Axel never wanted to be without Roxas again.

* * *

Aeleus was napping quietly in his stone when he detected something odd in the house. Not odd in a bad away, but merely odd. Rousing a touch, he listened to the vibrations coming from the living room.

_I'm not sure about this Braig._

_You'll like it, I promise._ There was a groan and the whisper of cloth moving against cloth. It ignited the magnus terra's curiosity, and Aeleus slipped easily out of his stone, slipping out of the room soundlessly and walking cautiously towards the den. Ienzo's parents and Myde were out of the house this weekend for various things, so he didn't have to worry about them. But it might be better if Braig didn't see him as well.

Aeleus watched, an odd feeling in his chest, as the older boy disrobed the younger. Ienzo seemed to be enjoying it and Aeleus told himself that that was all that mattered… but couldn't stop his hands from curling into fists. This bothered him and he didn't even know why, not really. Aeleus swallowed as he turned away. After living in his rock in the house, he'd learned about sex from listening to the boys' parents, so he knew what was happening. And he didn't want to see anymore, although he couldn't help but hear.

"Aeleus." He blinked as he heard Ienzo gasp his name. "Oh, Aeleus, yes!"

"It's Braig, Ienzo." The older boy sounded almost miffed but the magnus terra was standing stock still, still turned away. Why was Ienzo saying his name while they were doing… that? What did it mean?

Finally fleeing to the safety of his rock, Aeleus curled into a tight ball inside the stone and tried to ignore the outside world.

If only it were that easy to ignore his own emotions.

* * *

_Aeleus, please, I miss you. Please!_ A tearful voice calling to him. Aeleus was vaguely aware that it had been going on for some time, but locked in his own turmoil and misery, he had been ignoring it. _You're my best friend, don't leave me like this, please come back to me. Aeleus, please._ The fear, the pain, the desperation in Ienzo's voice suddenly reached him and Aeleus flowed out of his rock, assuming his human form in a cloud of dust.

"Aeleus!" Aeleus blinked in surprise as arms clamped tight around him and Ienzo buried his face in the magnus terra's chest. That couldn't be comfortable. Aeleus flesh was as unyielding as the stone he sprang from, although he could soften it a touch if he concentrated. But only a bit… the earth just wasn't a soft thing. "Where have you _been_? It's been a week!"

"I was upset." He said awkwardly, reaching down to gently pet the soft silvery hair of his best friend. His only real friend. Did he want to bring up what he had heard? But if he didn't he just wouldn't know what to think, what to feel. His own emotions were too confused. "Ienzo, why were you calling my name when you – mated with Braig?" Ienzo choked at that question and Aeleus was sure he had phrased it oddly. But he didn't know any other words for the act that weren't rude.

"You – You weren't supposed to hear that. Oh god, Aeleus, I'm sorry. You must be disgusted!" Ienzo seemed distraught. "I thought you were asleep in the bedroom." Aeleus shook his head as he considered Ienzo's words. Disgusted? No, that was definitely not how he felt about this.

"You forget that the earth can hear almost as well as the air." Aeleus reminded him gently, and the silver haired boy winced. "I just want to know why you were calling my name." That question was at the base of his conflicted feelings, he knew. Ienzo swallowed heavily, rubbing his eyes for a moment before answering.

"I – I wanted it to be you." Ienzo said hoarsely, his voice choked with emotion. "But you're a magnus terra and I'm just a kid and I'm not good enough for you. Please Aeleus, just be my friend, please? I love you too much to lose you!" Aeleus blinked as Ienzo hugged him again, sobbing quietly into his chest. Love? But his feelings suddenly came into focus, and the magnus terra knew what was really bothering him.

"Ienzo." Aeleus gently tilted up the child's face, looking into those beautiful blue eyes. Filled with tears at the moment, but he could change that. "I wanted it to be me too. That was why I was so upset." The urge to mating didn't come naturally, but Ienzo was his. Seeing someone else taking him had made the elemental both angry and hurt. Ienzo stared at him as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You really mean it?" Ienzo whispered, blue eyes wide. "Don't lie to me Aeleus." If his best friend was lying just to make him feel better, that would be a hundred times worse than a bitter truth. But Aeleus shook his head.

"I mean it, Ienzo." His voice dropped to a whisper as stormcloud grey eyes met blue. "I think I love you too." What else could this feeling be? He wanted Ienzo to be his, and the human boy already had the keys to his heart. He had for years. Aeleus lowered his head, catching Ienzo's lips in a slow, tentative kiss.

Analyzed objectively, it wasn't much of a kiss. Aeleus didn't know what he was doing and even at his softest, kissing the magnus terra was a bit like kissing a statue. His flesh just didn't yield the way a person's should. And Ienzo was too frightened, too shocked to really respond properly. But neither one of them cared in the slightest. To them, it was the best kiss in the world. When they parted they stared at each other for a moment before Ienzo took a short, shaky breath and pulled Aeleus towards the bed. The magnus terra couldn't help but feel a bit worried. He knew how sex went in an insert tab A into slot B fashion, but that told him nothing about how to please a partner and he absolutely did not want to hurt Ienzo.

"Ienzo, I don't know how to do this." That was only mildly embarrassing to admit. Why should he know how this went? The silver haired boy nodded as he drew down Aeleus' pants. The earth elemental still wore the exact same clothing he had when they first met in the mountains, which was nothing more than pants of rough, heavy cloth. He never wore shoes so they slid easily onto the floor, vanishing into dust as Ienzo blinked at what was revealed.

"You're huge." He said before he could stop himself, and blushed. Aeleus looked a little puzzled as he glanced down over himself.

"It's proportional. If you want I can make it smaller." Altering his body was no hard thing. Ienzo coughed and shook his head, laying a finger over his lips with a smile.

"No, no, huge is good." At least, that was what everyone claimed, although this was a little intimidating. Braig had stretched him painfully and Aeleus was definitely larger. Ienzo started to work off his own clothing, which was far more complicated than Aeleus'. The earth elemental helped and Ienzo shivered as warm, firm fingers ghosted over his skin. Just those tiny touches felt incredibly good. He reached up, running his hands through spiky brown hair and pulling Aeleus down for a kiss. This one was better, more tongue and lips and Ienzo moaned softly at the taste. Aeleus tasted like minerals and fresh cut grass. It was an odd combination but to him, it was good. Ienzo breathed in the magnus terra's scent, the familiar smell of freshly churned earth.

For a time they just petted, gently and slowly exploring each other. They were both a bit tentative, unsure, but soon the tender touches led to something more intense. Aeleus groaned softly, his forehead resting on the pillows beside Ienzo's as the silver haired boy found his erect length and slowly, sensuously stroked him. He'd never imagined a feeling like that before but it was good and he desperately wanted more. But how?

"What do I do?" Aeleus murmured in Ienzo's ear and the boy reached over, grabbing the lotion Braig had used. He was by no means an expert but he could show the elemental what to do.

"You need to stretch me out so I'll be able to take it. Coat your fingers with this." Aeleus followed the instructions, but paused as he found Zexion's entrance, then glanced down at himself. He really was large. How was this going to work? Deciding to take it on faith, Aeleus carefully slid one finger inside. Ienzo moaned and he paused, worried he was hurting the boy. "Keep… keep going. You need to fit more in." Aeleus hesitated then carefully inserted another finger, exploring the boy and trying to stretch him out. Then he blinked as Ienzo suddenly drew in a sharp breath. Curious, Aeleus prodded that particular spot again and the silver hair reacted, arching a bit and gasping. "Oh yes!" The elemental noted that spot and slid in a third finger, touching it as he kept stretching the boy.

Finally he thought Ienzo was as ready as he was going to get, and Aeleus carefully positioned himself between the boys' legs, wondering again if he would fit. But Ienzo was looking at him, his blue eyes fogged with lust and Aeleus felt his own need rising. He wanted this so badly, wanted his best friend for so long to really be his. He pressed the head of his member against the boys' entrance, pushing forward and embedding just the head. Ienzo gasped and Aeleus groaned softly, as he slowly sank just a bit deeper, velvety walls tightening around him. The terra magnus looked into Ienzo's face and saw pain there as the boy was stretched far more than he'd ever been before… but also desire. And that desire intensified as he brushed against that spot again.

"Aeleus!" Ienzo gripped him tightly, feeling the rock hard body against his own, the thick, painful and oh so good length inside him. "God, you're… so big." He'd never dreamed of being filled this way and it was as wonderful as it was difficult. Aeleus breath tickled his ear as the elemental spoke.

"You're so tight." Aeleus slowly began to rock the boy into the bed, making Ienzo moan with every thrust. It felt so good, so right to be doing this with his friend. No, his love. Ienzo was the one he loved more than anything else in the world.

"Harder, nnn, faster…" Ienzo urged him and the brunette obligingly speeded the rhythm, feeling the delicate, yielding warmth beneath him, the sweet taste of the silver hair's lips as Aeleus caught them again for a kiss. Then Aeleus found that spot again and Ienzo cried out into his lips as he arched in pure pleasure. The magnus terra deliberately aimed for it, making Ienzo cry out in pleasure, his erection twitching with every thrust. Ienzo saw stars behind his eyes as he finally released, the white liquid wetting them both. Aeleus followed a moment later but Ienzo felt nothing inside him, and he was vaguely glad. What kind of release would a magnus terra have if not nothing? Dust, dirt? He'd rather not think about that.

"Oh, Ienzo." Aeleus nuzzled his throat tenderly, and Ienzo sighed as the elemental pulled away, lying down beside him. The silver hair cuddled up to him and found himself tucked under an arm, against Aeleus chest. He smiled and listened to the slow, steady rhythm of the earth until it lured him to sleep.


	5. Flagrante Delecto? No, the Wild Thang

"That creepy guy is watching us again." Dilan complained, making Ienzo frown and glance around curiously.

He was at soccer practice. He didn't actually want to play soccer, but his parents had insisted he and Myde sign up for something and soccer had sounded like the least objectionable since Dilan and Braig were both fond of it. Myde had friends in the football team but they hadn't seriously considered it. That was for people built like Aeleus. Ienzo smiled as he spotted the earth elemental sitting in the stands and waved. Aeleus waved back.

"God, don't encourage him!" Dilan complained and Ienzo stared at him, feeling a sudden flash of rage as he realized the other boy was talking about _Aeleus._

"That's my friend." He snarled and Dilan's eyes widened at the venom in his tone. "He's here watching me, so shut it!"

"Oh." Dilan was silent for a moment, surprised by the violence of his reaction. "Uh, sorry. But couldn't you ask him to put on a shirt or something? And damn, but those pants. He looks like a modern day caveman." Ienzo's temper cooled as he thought about it objectively for a moment. Although it was a bit rich coming from someone in dreadlocks and a Hello Kitty t-shirt, the other boy did have a point. Aeleus' clothing came from the first and only other time he'd interacted with humans, when a group of druids about five thousand years ago had supplicated the earth for help with a mudslide. Aeleus had happened to be in the area and had decided, for no particular reason, to answer their petition and unbury the village. He had saved a few lives, as well, but not very many. People suffocated quickly in mud. The druids had been quite grateful and he'd modeled his clothing after them although he hadn't stayed with them long enough to learn much about humans. His actions had just been a passing kindness.

"I'll talk to him about it." He was sure Aeleus wouldn't mind, and his style could use some updating. Now that Dilan mentioned it, he noticed several mothers and the coach giving Aeleus uneasy looks. Ienzo frowned, wondering if anyone might try to report him to the police. That could end tragically for the police. Aeleus did not have a quick temper but when aroused, he could and would kill without a thought. That's what elementals did.

He had no idea how prophetic that thought would prove to be.

* * *

Axel was eating an apple and sorting through the mail when the next problem arrived.

"Y'know, I think I shouldn't be the first person to read the mail anymore. I'm a bad luck charm." Axel commented as he looked through a very legal piece of stationary. Roxas and Sora were too involved in a video game to care, but Riku looked up with a frown and Axel tossed the letter to him. "We're being audited."

"What?!?" Roxas dropped his controller and snatched the letter as Sora just looked confused. The former street boy knew nothing at all of auditing. Riku had more of a clue and winced. He'd been raised in the priesthood of the One God and knew that the word 'audit' was the last thing any abbot wanted to hear. "This is such bullshit! Why now?"

"The house must have caught their attention." Axel had been mildly worried there might be repercussions from getting the gold from their old place, but had thought it was necessary anyway. It looked like he'd been right. "I think we need a really good lawyer." Roxas nodded glumly as he looked over the letter. They both understood the problem.

Legally speaking, elementals were not people. They were like objects or perhaps household pets, in terms of the law. Axel didn't really object to that, in a lot of ways. How could you arrest an inferno for killing people in a forest fire, or an erus for starting an earthquake? You couldn't. And if they were unaccountable for their actions, how could destroying an elemental with a too harsh binding be a crime? They just weren't people.

But for the greater elementals, this occasionally posed problems. Axel grimaced as he thought about it. In this day and age that could come and bite him and Roxas on the butt. Elementals couldn't legally enter into contracts, which meant all the things they'd gotten involved could suddenly be made null and void. Axel had no idea what that would mean for them, but he really didn't want to know. So they'd have to find some way to explain the gold that didn't involve admitting they had stashed it themselves over a hundred years ago. So they needed a very good lawyer. Although…

"We'll have to find a lawyer who can keep his mouth shut." That probably wouldn't be too difficult. Any really good lawyer would be good at that. On the other hand, they didn't know any good lawyers and Axel wasn't about to search through the phone book. "Hmm. Who should we ask about finding a good lawyer?" Roxas considered the question and searched through his blackberry as Riku picked up his abandoned controller and got Sora to start a new game. The silver haired altus ventus knew the limits of his understanding and there was nothing at all he and Sora could do to help.

"Maybe Albert would know." Axel brightened. That was a good idea, and Albert Brenshaw, the Chief Operations Officer of Mishiri Corp, still owed them one. They'd helped him with a small but absolutely vexing problem involving a new order processing system. "Let me give him a call." Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, Roxas made the call. "Albert! This is Roxas, I was wondering if you have a moment?" Roxas smiled at something before continuing. "Axel and I are getting audited and we need some really good help with it. Yeah… Axel's past life as a porn star is coming back to haunt us." Roxas grinned as Axel spat out a piece of fruit. "Thanks!" Roxas started writing down several names. "We owe you one." Roxas laughed and hung up after saying his goodbyes.

"I wonder if you could hide the money by saying Axel has been moonlighting as a porn star?" Riku said absently then winced as he got pegged with an apple core.

"Porn stars pay their taxes." Axel said tartly as Roxas began calling the lawyers on the list. Hopefully he'd be able to find someone who could fit them in for a suitable sum.

This audit was going to be expensive, but that was okay as long as they could keep their secret.

* * *

Ienzo and Aeleus had been surreptitious lovers for weeks. With the naiveté of inexperience and the optimism of youth, they thought they could keep it a secret forever. In fact, the new level of their relationship had doomed their secret but neither one of them was willing to admit the fact. Their greatest defense had always been the sheer speed with which Aeleus could vanish back into his rock. There was no way he was going to be able to react that quickly in the middle of lovemaking.

"Ienzo." The silver haired teen shivered as the magnus terra breathed against his ear. Aeleus was gently touching him, exploring his body with feather light touches. Sometimes Ienzo wished he could be a bit rougher, more demanding, but the elemental needed to be gentle. His hands were too hard for anything else and Ienzo was reminded of that in the rare moments Aeleus forgot. Aeleus kissed his neck, then trailed kisses along his jawline and Ienzo took a soft, shuddering breath as warm fingers found his erection. He slid his hands over firm, unyielding flesh and easily found something that just begged to be touched. Aeleus chuckled and they kissed, too deeply involved in what they were doing to notice the door creaking open.

"Ienzo?" The two lovers froze in shock and the soft, horrified query. Ienzo turned his head to see Myde standing in the doorway, staring at them with wide eyes.

"Myde." He croaked out as Aeleus tried to decide what he should do. Hide in the rock or stay with Ienzo? He abruptly decided he was staying. There was no way they were going to convince Myde he hadn't seen this. "Don't-!"

"MOM! DAD!" Ienzo cursed as Aeleus winced. This just couldn't be good. Ienzo clung to him tightly for a moment as Myde bolted out of the room, then shook his head violently.

"Go hide in your rock, I'll make something up." He urged the magnus terra, but Aeleus shook his head. "Aeleus!"

"No. Enough of this." Aeleus smiled down at his young lover. "It's time they understood the truth. I'm tired of hiding." Ienzo looked seriously worried and would have objected further, but then his mother and father were both at the door.

This couldn't possibly end well.

* * *

"What is that man made of, iron?" Wyrio was pale and nursing a hand that was quite likely broken as they waited for the police to arrive. He'd tried to physically evict the strange man from Ienzo's room but that had gone badly. Not that the man had done anything, he'd just refused to go. Veria and Myde had tried to get Ienzo out of the room, but the silver haired boy had also refused to go and he was as impossible to move as Aeleus in a completely different way.

"Ienzo keeps saying he's Aeleus." Myde was close to tears. He'd never thought his brother would go completely around the bend like this, saying that a strange man in his bed was his invisible friend. Ienzo had always been weird, but never like this. Veria hugged him for a moment and they both looked up as the door rang. It was two police officers. Wyrio quickly explained the situation, although it didn't take much before they were going towards the bedroom.

Aeleus and Ienzo were both dressed now. Ienzo had pulled on a pair of pants and a sweatshirt and Aeleus had materialized the new clothing Ienzo had designed for him. The dark brown turtleneck and matching pants made the magnus terra look very dignified. Ienzo was curled up beside him and glared venomously as the door was opened again.

"Sir, you're under arrest. Please come quietly." One of the officers demanded. Aeleus rose to his feet, grey eyes flashing, and Ienzo winced. He knew the elemental was nearing the limits of his patience with all this.

"No." Aeleus said calmly, meeting the man's gaze, then looking at the second officer. The second police officer was frowning, staring at the magnus terra, and Ienzo suddenly hoped the man was sensitive. Some people could feel the presence of elementals, although such people usually became wizards. But not always. "You cannot arrest the agents of Gaia." From the look on his face, the first officer thought Aeleus was insane. The second looked troubled.

"Aeleus." Ienzo said urgently. "Remember the landslide." Aeleus paused, confused. But then he understood.

"You mean I should warn them." Ienzo nodded. He had a small enough liking for any authority figures, police included, but they at least deserved to know that they were about to put their foot in a bear trap. Aeleus considered it and nodded slightly as one officer drew something that whined. The elemental smiled, amused. A taser would be utterly ineffective against him. He raised his voice so the rest of the family could hear, if they cared to listen. "I am a magnus terra. I am the force that rips apart continents, that raises mountains up and tears them down. Anger me and the earth will swallow you." The promise in his voice was deadly. The first officer suddenly moved and Aeleus didn't flinch as the taser hit him. Electricity was meaningless to him, grounded without effort by his nature of stone and earth. The first officer stepped back, then scowled and drew his gun.

"Jake, don't!" The second officer tried to stop him but not before he shot twice. Aeleus didn't even flinch but the second officer swore as a bullet buried itself in the wall behind them. "STOP! Ricochets!" The first officer blinked, following the path of the bullets and finding the holes in the wall. They had gone in completely wild directions.

"What the fuck?" That was unnerving, and Aeleus smiled faintly, teeth showing in an expression no one could call friendly.

"That's what can happen when you shoot a very hard surface." He said pleasantly. "Now unless you want to fertilize the gardens, get out of my sight." He allowed an echo of his temper to show in that statement. The magnus terra really was getting tired of this. The first officer looked ready to continue things but the second gripped his arm and whispered in his ear. Aeleus could hear him clearly.

_Jake, you can't arrest an elemental!_

_Why the fuck not, Todd? He's been molesting that boy!_

_Because it's not a person! It can't commit a crime. We have to talk to the family about it but this is not our job, this is for wizards._ The two police officers retreated from the room and Aeleus sat back down beside Ienzo, cuddling the smaller boy close as he shook his head.

"I wish I knew what they're saying to mom and dad." He fretted and Aeleus smiled.

"You always forget how good my hearing is, Ienzo. I'll listen in." Suiting words to deeds, Aeleus concentrated on reading the vibrations. It wasn't as easy in the apartment as it would have been over dirt or stone, but there was plenty of metal and almost-stone tiling. It did a fair job of carrying the vibrations.

Meanwhile, the two officers were speaking to the family. Or rather, the second officer was. Unlike his partner, he knew a bit about elementals.

"Sir, ma'am, I have no doubt that he's an elemental." He said as gently as he could. "My family has plenty of wizards so I know a bit about them. He claims to be a magnus terra and there's no reason to think he's lying."

"It doesn't matter!" Wyrio said as Veria looked ready to burst into tears. Myde was listening, wide-eyed. "Ienzo is only a child and that… thing must be thousands of years old! This is ridiculous!" Officer Todd sighed and shook his head.

"Sir, elementals are not people as such. That means they cannot legally give consent at all. Having sex with one would be like – like using a vibrator." Wyrio choked at that comparison and in the other room, Aeleus blinked.

"What's a vibrator?" He asked Ienzo curiously and the silver haired boy blushed.

"It's, uh… it's a toy." From the look on Aeleus face he knew he wasn't getting out that easily, and Ienzo sighed then explained. "It can, um, be put inside and it makes a pleasant vibration. It's a sex toy." He hoped that was a good enough description. Aeleus looked astonished, annoyed, then finally amused.

"A vibrator!" Ienzo looked confused but Aeleus didn't explain, going back to his listening.

"So we need a wizard to get rid of him?" The discussion had gone on a bit as Aeleus was distracted, but Wyrio was keeping his attention on the main point.

"Or a very good technomancer. That's all I can suggest, sir. There's just nothing we can do about elementals." And the two officers departed to leave the family to sort their problems out themselves, if they could. Veria started leafing through a phone book and Wyrio shook his head with a snort.

"Leave that be, Veria. I'm going to call Albert." It was a bit daring. Actually, a lot daring, but Wyrio was a manager and had had contacts with the Chief Operations Officer before. And he was desperate. Albert would have the contact information for those two technomancers who had a reputation as miracle workers.

Hopefully, that reputation would prove to be deserved.

* * *

"Whozis?" Axel mumbled into the phone that had rudely interrupted his dreams of the core of the world. "If you're selling insurance there's a hit man heading for your home in the next half hour."

_Axel, it's Albert. Pull yourself together._ Axel blinked, managing to get a bit more awareness going as Roxas stirred sleepily beside him. _I have Wyrio here on a three way call. To you remember him from the convocation?_

"Uh, yeah." Axel did remember, mostly because of the boy with the earth scent all over him. "What's going on?"

_They have an emergency. There's an elemental in their house and it's been sexually intimate with their son. _Axel blinked, suddenly wondering how bad gremlins could go. Surely not. But the only other possibility was a greater elemental like themselves, none of the lesser would even consider it. _They urgently need help and are willing to pay your going rates._

"Uh… Roxas and I can come check it out. But you do understand that if this is something like a terra flamma or a magnus terra, we can only reason with it?" Actually, they could do more but Axel wasn't about to. A battle of elementals in a populated area would be utter madness. The city would end up leveled for certain. Roxas propped himself up on one elbow, frowning.

_I understand._ That was Wyrio and the man sounded seriously stressed. Axel suddenly felt bad for him. He couldn't be very high up on the food chain but he'd been desperate enough to call Albert in the middle of the night. He was lucky Albert was an understanding soul. _Please, just do what you can._

"Okay, what's the address?" Axel easily committed it to memory. "We'll be there in a half hour." They could have been there faster but anything more would have been suspicious. He hung up the phone as Roxas scowled.

"Be where? It's one AM in the morning!" They'd gotten to bed late, so they'd hardly slept at all really. Axel sighed, pulling himself out of bed and materializing some simple clothing. He didn't want to bother with real clothes at the moment, and Roxas quickly followed suit.

"Remember that kid with the earth scent all over him? Apparently his family caught him and a gnome of some sort doing the wild thang. Now everyone's flipping out and they need some help." Roxas blinked as Axel grimaced. "We should probably go, if only to keep this thing from escalating." An angry elemental could be dangerous indeed. The two terra flamma departed the room in a cascade of sparks.

They would have to see what they could do.


End file.
